APEC Hawaii 2011

This official photo was taken just prior to the APEC 2011 Leaders' Reception and Dinner on Saturday, November 12th
at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki.

About the APEC Costume Vote

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a framework for 21 Pacific Rim countries to
promote economic cooperation and free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
The highlight of
the annual summit is the parade of the APEC leaders wearing the designated "national dress"
of the host nation.
The leader of the host country decides on a traditional local costume to be worn by
the leaders for the official group photo.

In a spirit of openness and transparency, President Obama decided to leave
this important choice up to the American People.
The White House carefully chose the following three options for the Official APEC 2011 USA Leaders Attire: Aloha
Attire; Hula Dancer; and Wet Suit.
The Hula Dancer was the number one choice of the American People.

APEC Costume Photo Gallery (2000-2009)

Here is a photo gallery of past APEC Conferences. As you can see, the APEC leaders clearly enjoy
posing for the traditional "silly shirts" photo and are good sports despite some dubious choices made over the years.

2010 APEC Costume Disappointment

Unfortunately, in 2010, the world was bitterly disappointed when the annual APEC Summit held in Japan had no
traditional costumes for the leaders to wear.

2011 APEC Leaders Gift

Each year, the participants of the APEC Summit look forward to receiving the "Leaders Gift" from
the host country. The gifts are locally made and are unique to the location of the summit.

For APEC 2011 USA, an exquisite APEC Leaders Commemorative Bobble Head was commissioned for the
official Leaders Gift. Leaders received a surfer bobble head in their own likeness, along
with a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and a bumper sticker.

APEC Hawaii Hospitality Gift Bags

In an unprecedented effort to showcase the aloha spirit and hospitality of Hawaii, 11,000 visiting government officials, business
leaders and global media received an APEC Hawaii gift bag loaded with locally-produced products and
souvenirs. The featured item in the gift bag was the APEC Hawaii 2011 Leaders shirt, a locally-designed aloha shirt
decorated with plumeria flowers and APEC Leader heads.
These shirts will become available for
purchase on oBay by the general public following the summit.

APEC Protests in Hawaii

The White House understands that not everyone feels the way we do about APEC. In a spirit of openness and transparency, we are
proud to offer these alternative views of APEC Hawaii 2011:

Entertainment at APEC 2011 Hawaii

Hawaiian singer Makana was invited to entertain the 21 World Leaders and their guests at the Leaders' Reception and
Dinner. Mahalo, Makana for a memorable performance.

APEC 2011 in Honolulu

In 2009, President Obama announced the location of the 2011 Summit to the APEC members gathered
in Singapore: "I look forward to seeing you all decked out in flowered shirts and grass
skirts, because today I'm announcing that we are bringing this forum to my home state
of Hawaii in 2011."

Counting Down to APEC 2011 in Honolulu Hawaii

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About the Logo

The logo was designed to represent the 21 participating Member economies while incorporating natural elements from the location of this event.
The centerpiece of the logo is Hawaii's state
flower, the yellow hibiscus. It represents the beauty of economic freedom and fairness; a celebration of openness and
transparency.

Behind the flower, is a cage; its
colorful bars playfully crisscross one another to form the illusion of a globe. The cage struggles to contain the flower, but fails.
The cage represents the Member economies that are less open, less transparent, less free. The three curves along the bottom
represent the waves of the Pacific Ocean and serve as a reminder of our responsibility towards the environment.

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approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe
that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner).